July 27, 2026 • 6 mins
Simon Witheford of KWS chats about Conviso Smart.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
Welcome back to the Muster.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Simon with of KWS catches up with us next. We
caught out with Alex Clark a couple of weeks ago
talking about the Conviso Smart System and we're going to
catch up with Simon today. Just have a bit of
a chin where we can talk about some options that
are coming up.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
For next season. Simon, Welcome to the Muster. Good to chat.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Yeah, thanks and any thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Now.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
We spoke with Alex a couple of weeks ago about
KWS and what you guys are about. Just from your perspective,
I suppose your role with the company Simon.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Yeah, I look after our activities here in New Zealand
as a country manager, and Alex looks after our regions
and Southland and the Targo, So everything that's going on
down there is responsibilities and I look after, amongst other things,
everything north of the White Techi River. But Canterbury, Southland
and Targo are our main areas that can be so
(00:59):
smart system.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
So we're getting through the winds now, the crops have
been eaten the space. From your perspective, Simon, as to
what you're hearing, how has it been.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Pretty good on the whole winter conditions haven't been too
bad in most places. A few storms they've come through
the country through the South Island and moved north, but
on the whole winter conditions have been pretty reasonable and
in most cases it looks like things are fairly well
positioned for spring and some people are starting to carve now,
so at the moment it's looking positive, but still a
(01:30):
way to go now.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
The Conviso Smart system for those people that aren't aware
of it, what you guys do there at KWS and
this variety simon give us a bit of an update
around it.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Yeah, Well, conve so smart as a herbicide tolerant fodder
beat system. So it's combining fodder beat varieties that have
been bred to be tolerant to the Conviso one herbicide
Conviso ones based on ALS inhibitors Group two herbicides that
was developed by Bayer Crop Science and KWS have been
(02:03):
responsible for breeding the tolerance into our Fada beat variety.
So this system works together to provide a really good
weed control solution for a lot of places that are
growing for a beat, really effective weed control and a
lot of girls are having really good success with it.
Over the last couple of seasons.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Controlling weeds and your crop.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
I think you go back to the days of scuffling
swedes for goodness sake. That seems like a lifetime ago,
but in reality it isn't. And the way that things evolved,
and while turn it and issues like that, you're just
trying to eliminate them.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
I suppose here we are.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
I mean, weed control is critical to yield success. If
you can't control the weeds, they're just over overcome the
crop and you get poor yields and that makes in
a way, an expensive crop with all the costs associated
with that. So the yields a king controlling weeds. Controlling
weeds is a critical part of getting those yields to
(03:00):
be the maximum that they possibly can.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Be if you're not on top of the weeds in
your crops.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
As such, just how much of the crop can you
lose in a percentage term you reckon it depends.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
We see some farms there that you're really on the
limit of trying to grow fodder beat with the yields
they're not getting. So my estimate, depending where you are,
if you're below twenty tons, then something's not right, and
anything twenty tons and above, and on irrigated land you
probably want higher. So it really depends on your circumstances.
(03:32):
That extreme yield losses could be fifty percent in the
West Coast scenario is quite easily.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
That's worst case scenario, of course. I think the best
I heard there was a guy I corresponded on the
show talking about thirty six tone.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Yeah I've heard. Yeah, I mean a bit of pub talk.
But in the last couple of years, at least on
irrigated land and around Canterbury and maybe central Otago, then yeah,
thirty five tons to forty is quite reasonable. But you know,
enough is enough. You need a good economic yield, let's say,
And that's what farmers should be really targeting for these circumstances.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Absolutely. Now, the seed and the spray, they're a package deal,
is that right?
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Yeah, exactly, So, on a per hector basis, the farmer
will receive one hundred thousand seeds of the variety. They'll
receive a letter per hector of the conviso one herbicide
and included we also throw in one leader per hector
of the partner oil that should be mixed with the
herbicide before it's applied.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
And the weed control itself you talk about like we
talked about what getting on top of it in.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Your crop, So how does it stack up as such?
From what you see really good.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
So the really challenging weeds that farmers often come across
beet growing. So while turn up is a classic one,
especially for the Southland South Otago regions in particular mallow docks,
wirewed willow weed and a farmers are struggling with weeds
beat from bolt as they haven't controlled historically and they're
(05:09):
fota beet crops. It will take care of that existing
we beat as well. So the spectrum is really wide,
controls grasses and including in addition to those broad leaf weeds,
So that spectrum is really comprehensive and efficacy is really
particularly high. So we're finding that farmers are having breakthroughs
from where they have been in many cases with weed
(05:30):
control using the conve so smart systems. So it's been
brilliant to see.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
And of course sugar and grazing photobee varieties they're available
as well.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
Yeah, exactly. We've got two main varieties, a sugar beet
variety called smart Sonia that's mainly for lifting harvesting and
then we've got smart Jasena, which is a high drometter
fodabe variety. We will be testing some new material this
year and so we hope in the next couple of
years will have some new varriet Is to introduce them
(06:01):
to the market, and we're looking to bring the triumaut
a percentage of those foderbeat varieties down as well as
we can, and that's where we're heading in our breeding program.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Hey, good on you, Simon, Thanks your time this afternoon.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
No worries, Thanks Andy.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Simon Withervid of KWS.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
You're listening to the muster Before we wrap up, technology
willing Tom O'Brien will be on the line from Thailand,
of all places. Man
Welcome back to the Muster.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Simon with of KWS catches up with us next. We
caught out with Alex Clark a couple of weeks ago
talking about the Conviso Smart System and we're going to
catch up with Simon today. Just have a bit of
a chin where we can talk about some options that
are coming up.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
For next season. Simon, Welcome to the Muster. Good to chat.
Speaker 3 (00:26):
Yeah, thanks and any thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Now.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
We spoke with Alex a couple of weeks ago about
KWS and what you guys are about. Just from your perspective,
I suppose your role with the company Simon.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Yeah, I look after our activities here in New Zealand
as a country manager, and Alex looks after our regions
and Southland and the Targo, So everything that's going on
down there is responsibilities and I look after, amongst other things,
everything north of the White Techi River. But Canterbury, Southland
and Targo are our main areas that can be so
(00:59):
smart system.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
So we're getting through the winds now, the crops have
been eaten the space. From your perspective, Simon, as to
what you're hearing, how has it been.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
Pretty good on the whole winter conditions haven't been too
bad in most places. A few storms they've come through
the country through the South Island and moved north, but
on the whole winter conditions have been pretty reasonable and
in most cases it looks like things are fairly well
positioned for spring and some people are starting to carve now,
so at the moment it's looking positive, but still a
(01:30):
way to go now.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
The Conviso Smart system for those people that aren't aware
of it, what you guys do there at KWS and
this variety simon give us a bit of an update
around it.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Yeah, Well, conve so smart as a herbicide tolerant fodder
beat system. So it's combining fodder beat varieties that have
been bred to be tolerant to the Conviso one herbicide
Conviso ones based on ALS inhibitors Group two herbicides that
was developed by Bayer Crop Science and KWS have been
(02:03):
responsible for breeding the tolerance into our Fada beat variety.
So this system works together to provide a really good
weed control solution for a lot of places that are
growing for a beat, really effective weed control and a
lot of girls are having really good success with it.
Over the last couple of seasons.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Controlling weeds and your crop.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
I think you go back to the days of scuffling
swedes for goodness sake. That seems like a lifetime ago,
but in reality it isn't. And the way that things evolved,
and while turn it and issues like that, you're just
trying to eliminate them.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
I suppose here we are.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
I mean, weed control is critical to yield success. If
you can't control the weeds, they're just over overcome the
crop and you get poor yields and that makes in
a way, an expensive crop with all the costs associated
with that. So the yields a king controlling weeds. Controlling
weeds is a critical part of getting those yields to
(03:00):
be the maximum that they possibly can.
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Be if you're not on top of the weeds in
your crops.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
As such, just how much of the crop can you
lose in a percentage term you reckon it depends.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
We see some farms there that you're really on the
limit of trying to grow fodder beat with the yields
they're not getting. So my estimate, depending where you are,
if you're below twenty tons, then something's not right, and
anything twenty tons and above, and on irrigated land you
probably want higher. So it really depends on your circumstances.
(03:32):
That extreme yield losses could be fifty percent in the
West Coast scenario is quite easily.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
That's worst case scenario, of course. I think the best
I heard there was a guy I corresponded on the
show talking about thirty six tone.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Yeah I've heard. Yeah, I mean a bit of pub talk.
But in the last couple of years, at least on
irrigated land and around Canterbury and maybe central Otago, then yeah,
thirty five tons to forty is quite reasonable. But you know,
enough is enough. You need a good economic yield, let's say,
And that's what farmers should be really targeting for these circumstances.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Absolutely. Now, the seed and the spray, they're a package deal,
is that right?
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Yeah, exactly, So, on a per hector basis, the farmer
will receive one hundred thousand seeds of the variety. They'll
receive a letter per hector of the conviso one herbicide
and included we also throw in one leader per hector
of the partner oil that should be mixed with the
herbicide before it's applied.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
And the weed control itself you talk about like we
talked about what getting on top of it in.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Your crop, So how does it stack up as such?
From what you see really good.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
So the really challenging weeds that farmers often come across
beet growing. So while turn up is a classic one,
especially for the Southland South Otago regions in particular mallow docks,
wirewed willow weed and a farmers are struggling with weeds
beat from bolt as they haven't controlled historically and they're
(05:09):
fota beet crops. It will take care of that existing
we beat as well. So the spectrum is really wide,
controls grasses and including in addition to those broad leaf weeds,
So that spectrum is really comprehensive and efficacy is really
particularly high. So we're finding that farmers are having breakthroughs
from where they have been in many cases with weed
(05:30):
control using the conve so smart systems. So it's been
brilliant to see.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
And of course sugar and grazing photobee varieties they're available
as well.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
Yeah, exactly. We've got two main varieties, a sugar beet
variety called smart Sonia that's mainly for lifting harvesting and
then we've got smart Jasena, which is a high drometter
fodabe variety. We will be testing some new material this
year and so we hope in the next couple of
years will have some new varriet Is to introduce them
(06:01):
to the market, and we're looking to bring the triumaut
a percentage of those foderbeat varieties down as well as
we can, and that's where we're heading in our breeding program.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
Hey, good on you, Simon, Thanks your time this afternoon.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
No worries, Thanks Andy.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Simon Withervid of KWS.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
You're listening to the muster Before we wrap up, technology
willing Tom O'Brien will be on the line from Thailand,
of all places. Man
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